Arrest made in triple murder of Lockport mother, daughters; suspect named

LOCKPORT, La. -- Authorities have made an arrest in the November triple murder of a Lockport mother and her two young daughters.

Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office announced the identity of the suspect as David Brown at a news conference Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Brown was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of aggravated rape and aggravated arson.

Jacqueline Nieves, 29, and her two young children, 7-year-old Gabriella and 1-year-old Isabella, were stabbed to death in November. Their bodies were found by firefighters working a fire in the family's apartment.

"Through investigation, detectives learned that during the early morning hours of Sunday, November 4, Brown entered Nieves’ apartment and proceeded upstairs armed with a knife. Detectives believe Brown then allegedly entered a bedroom and sexually assaulted two of the victims before stabbing all three victims several times each. It is believed that he subsequently set the apartment ablaze and fled the scene," said a statement from Sheriff Craig Webre.

According to the sheriff's office, Carlos Nieves Jr., husband and father of the victims, was asleep downstairs in the apartment during the incident. Brown was charged with the attempted murder of Carlos Nieves Jr. because Carlos was asleep when the fire was set. "He eventually awoke and called 9-1-1. Officers and firefighters responded to the scene where they discovered the bodies of the three victims in the upstairs bedroom," said a statement from the sheriff's office.

Brown's DNA was found at the crime scene, according to the sheriff's office. In November, 34-year-old Brown was already in custody as he was initially arrested on separate charges.

Brown's bond was increased to $3.31 million as set by Judge John LeBlanc.

Site Links

About

With the purpose of writing about true crime in an authoritative, fact-based manner, veteran journalists J. J. Maloney and J. Patrick O’Connor launched Crime Magazine in November of 1998. Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More